RADIO COMMISSIONING FRAMEWORK

Commissioning Brief

Commissioning Brief 20169: Production of BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought strand (beginning Early 2020).

CONTENTS SECTION A: EDITORIAL OPPORTUNITY...... 3

SECTION B: THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS ...... 7 1. TIMETABLE ...... 7 2. THE FIVE STAGES ...... 8 3. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA ...... 9

SECTION C: FULL PROPOSALS ...... 10 1. WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU ...... 10 2. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US ...... 11 3. IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE ...... 13

2 of 13 SECTION A: EDITORIAL OPPORTUNITY

Commissioning Brief 20169: Radio 2’s Pause For Thought

Commission contacts Robert Gallacher Robert.Gallacher@.co.uk Duration One year with two separate options for the BBC to renew for a further year on the same terms after both the first and second years (1+1+1) Number of programmes available 15 originations per week (ten live, 5 pre-recorded) Transmission period February 2020-February 2021 Guide Price per episode £200 when using your own studios/£180 when recording in BBC studios – per ep. Commissioning Year 2019/20 Commissioning Slot Various Commissioning Round 2019/2020 round 6

All proposals must be submitted via Proteus. There is no short proposal stage; submissions are going straight to full proposal.

Important Notes: • Full Proposals must be submitted via Proteus before the deadline at noon on Thursday 12th December 2019

• Suppliers will be asked to submit a Full Proposal assessed. This should be no longer than 5 sides of A4. It should be entered into the ‘full synopsis’ section of the Proteus submission form. • The BBC reserves the right at any time prior to the award of a commission, and without incurring any liability to the affected suppliers, to accept or to reject any proposal, or to annul the commissioning process rejecting all Full Proposals. More information relating to all commissioning briefs and rounds, regardless of Networks can be found on the Pitching Ideas page of the Radio Commissioning Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4fC4NcVXqkZntJv8ZHpClD8/pitchi ng-ideas We strongly advise you to submit your Proposals in good time to avoid the possibility of difficulties caused by unforeseen network or transmission problems. No late submissions will be accepted

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BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is a distinctive, mixed music and speech network, broadcasting to a broad audience which aims to appeal to all age groups over 35. The network offers entertaining, popular and specialist music programmes alongside speech-based content - including news, current affairs, documentaries, religion, arts and social action. The station boasts an award winning team of top name presenters including Zoe Ball, Steve Wright, , Trevor Nelson, , , , Paul O’Grady, Dermot O’Leary, Elaine Paige, , and Tony Blackburn.

Network Strategy

The network is aiming to grow reach and listening hours amongst the 35-54s, whilst retaining its already very broad audience appeal. Radio 2 will deliver great content to listen to, look at, and share, across all platforms, to drive digital take-up across social platforms and BBC Sounds, and will present the broadest mix of popular and specialist music hosted and curated by the nation’s best loved musical experts. We will place distinctive programming at the heart of the schedule, reflecting the diversity of the UK, whilst maintaining our reputation as the home of the biggest entertainment stars.

Editorial Opportunity: PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

Religion and faith are key to the network’s remit, where informed, articulate and engaging presenters provide intelligent presentation representing beliefs and comment from across the broad spectrum of faith across the UK. Radio 2 is looking to commission a supplier with a proven national radio track record for creating innovative programming around a spoken word religious format, with proven knowledge of scripting for religious/faith output. The programmes should serve the broad BBC Radio 2 35+ audience, representing views from across the religious/faith spectrum. The 3 minute programmes should explore contemporary themes and reflect on issues relevant to the audience, explore the importance of faith in people's lives, and celebrate the broad spectrum of beliefs in the UK today. The tone should be warm, friendly, uplifting, companionable and relatable. It should aim to cover spirituality and multi- faiths with a fresh, modern, accessible approach, while also keeping the Network Strategy in mind. We’d be interested in hearing how particularly the pre-recorded editions can be integral parts of the shows they are broadcast within.

Music Policy:

We would require the supplier to also suggest & supply appropriate music tracks to be used following each of the PFT transmissions.

4 of 13 Programme Content:

The programmes will be a mixture of ten live studio based presentations, and five pre-recorded originations. Radio 2 has existing studio space and resources within BBC Wogan House, , although producers are not required to use these resources. Independent companies wishing to make use of non-BBC studios are welcomed. The presenters will be contracted by the supplier.

The Pause For Thought programming is currently broadcast in O.J Borg (pre- rec x5), The Pick Of Radio 2 (pre-rec x1), Angela Scanlon (pre-rec x1), (live x 5) and Zoe Ball (live x 5).

Additional Deliverables We require assets for inclusion in BBC Sounds:

• Accurate and compelling programme titles and descriptions ahead of TX, when programme content is confirmed; and updated post-TX where appropriate. • Track-listings updated online as soon as practicable. • Bespoke episodic images taken and delivered to BBC Sounds team where appropriate, eg: featuring the presenters and their guests, or to reflect a theme of the show.

Members of production should undertake editorial data and photography training where required by the BBC.

Where appropriate, we would also want the production team to creatively deliver the Network’s wider weekly and monthly editorial messages; and to attend relevant Editorial meetings (either in person in London, or via video conferencing).

Additional information / delivery requirements: • The ‘Guide Price’ does include presenter fees. The presenters will be contracted and paid by the Supplier. • The contract will be offered as a “fixed price” deal and the BBC will assume that any elements included in proposals can be successfully delivered within the guide price given. • Production teams will be expected to adhere to all relevant editorial and copyright guidelines in place; and deliver all necessary production related paperwork in a timely fashion – e.g. Compliance Forms, Music Reporting.

5 of 13 COMPLIANCE AND BBC EDITORIAL GUIDELINES You will be required to deliver programmes that are in line with the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and be able to adapt to the BBC’s changing editorial and business needs during the period of the commission.

THE EVALUATION TEAM The following people may be involved in evaluating your proposal at various stages:

Lewis Carnie, Head of BBC Radio 2 Jeff Smith, Head of Music, BBC Radio 2 Helen Thomas, Head Of Content Commissioning, BBC Radio 2 Robert Gallacher, Commissioning Editor, Radio Pop Networks Julian Grundy, Commissioning & Scheduling Manager, BBC Radio 2 Joe Harland, Head of Visual Radio, Digital and Social, Pop Networks Mark Waring, Senior Commercial Rights and Business Affairs Manager Raluca Albu, Senior Procurement Manager

Subject matter experts (e.g. production experts, visual content specialists, network management or finance advisors etc.) may also be consulted. See Section B for information on the commissioning process, timetable and assessment criteria.

See Section B for information on the commissioning process, timetable and assessment criteria.

6 of 13 SECTION B: THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS

1. TIMETABLE The commissioning process consists of four stages, as set out in the timetable below:

Stage Timings (all Activities midday) th Launch 12 November Delivery of commissioning brief 2019 documentation and round opens in Proteus.

By Monday 9th 1. Eligibility, Opportunity to discuss programme brief with December 2019 Full Proposal Commissioning Team/Talent (ad directed) and initial prior to submitting Full Proposal. shortlisting th Thursday 12 Deadline for Full Proposal to be submitted via December 2019 Proteus.

Suppliers invited for interview/pitch.

w/c 16th 2. Interview/ Face-to-face pitches with suppliers. December 2019 Pitch

Monday 23rd 3. Conditional Commission award decision made, December 2019 Commission commissioning specification completed and offered contract issued. Agreement of all programme related deliverables and technical specifications (for further information on 1Xtra requirements, please see the BBC’s commissioning website). Full contract signed. w/c 6th January 4. Feedback Deadline by which shortlisted producers may 2020 request feedback.

We will assess your proposal according to this timetable. Late submissions cannot be accepted.

If you have any questions about this commissioning brief that need answering before you submit your Short Proposal and eligibility responses, please ensure you email them to either [email protected] or [email protected] by 17th May at the latest.

7 of 13 1. THE FOUR STAGES

STAGE 1: FULL PROPOSAL

Step 1 We may issue further relevant programme production information to all producers proceeding to this stage. If sensitive information is being released then producers will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Step 2 Producers proceeding to this stage will be invited to provide a Full Proposal, via Proteus, responding to this commissioning brief, which includes all the elements outlined in Section C paragraph 1 (“Full Proposal”). For guidance, your Full Proposal should not exceed five sides of A4 when printed using Arial font, size 11.

Step 3 Producers will be offered the opportunity to discuss the programme brief with the commissioning editor prior to submitting their full proposal.

STAGE 2: INTERVIEW / PITCH

Step 1 You may be invited to an interview/pitch meeting with the evaluation team. We will notify you which members of the evaluation team will be attending this meeting and you should expect to be asked to discuss and elaborate on your proposal, and answer questions about it. It is also possible we may ask you to bring additional relevant material to this meeting – for example, a sample show clock.

Step 2 Following the interview/pitch, the evaluation team will re-evaluate your Full Proposal against the assessment criteria in Section B3 (page 10) taking into account the responses given during the pitch, and any additional material requested. The evaluation team may then decide to award the contract to the producer(s) which best meets the assessment criteria; Note: At any stage of the process, we may need to come back to you to seek clarification. Your answers will be factored into the evaluation process as appropriate.

Step 3 Or we may decide to hold second interviews, for example, in the event where we need more information to be able to differentiate between proposals.

STAGE 3: CONTRACT SIGNED

STAGE 4: FEEDBACK If you’re unsuccessful after attending an interview / pitch meeting, you may request feedback. Once notified you have two weeks to request feedback. Requests for feedback should be made to Robert Gallacher/Janine Kempadoo. Feedback will be provided within two weeks of receiving the request.

8 of 13 2. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA We will assess your Full Proposal and pitch according to the main criteria below (editorial proposal and capability, value for money and risk). More details on how we will make our assessment will be given to all those shortlisted at the same time as they are invited to submit a Full Proposal. Assessment Criteria Editorial proposal and capability: 75% Key Indicators: • Editorial fit: fit of editorial proposal to overall Network Strategy and Music Policy as well as ways to support delivery of BBC Radio’s vision and objectives • Appropriate Knowledge: proven track record for creating religious programming for national radio, and good contacts with faith communities across the UK • Format: format and structure of the programme • Innovation and freshness: ability to innovate and evolve the programme in line with audience habits in order to attract and reach new audiences • Production team track record: proposed production team’s track record in producing recent and relevant music programmes of high quality • Collaboration and relationship: ability to work collaboratively with other production teams and suppliers • Creative challenge: Response to specific creative and editorial challenges set out in brief • Ability to identify and book suitable faith contributors Other Indicators: • Diversity: diversity and inclusion (on-air/off-air), i.e. ability to attract a diverse range of people • Digital: ability to innovate across digital platforms in order to engage audiences e.g. via social media, interactive content, BBC Sounds • Appointment to listen: experience of creating genuine 'appointment to listen' content • Talent management: ability to manage and develop high profile on-air talent

Value for money: 10% • Budget: financial plan, including a full budget breakdown and showing production and overhead costs • Price: confirmation that the price per episode is in line with the brief • Efficiency: efficiency of the production process, ability to deliver additional value to the BBC • Contract terms: acceptance of key contract terms (including compliance with all applicable UK law) Risk: 15% • Production: the ability to produce shows of large scale and volume with a consistent and experienced production team • Business continuity: : adequacy and robustness of business continuity plans; ability to continue the production in case of business disruption • BBC reputation: the ability to produce a compliant programme which poses limited/ no risk to the reputation of the BBC • Conflict of interest: confirmation that there are no risks to the BBC reputation • Legislation and policy: the ability to comply with all relevant UK legislation and BBC policies (not limited to editorial policies)

9 of 13 SECTION C: FULL PROPOSALS

1. WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU Your Full Proposal must be entered into the main ‘Synopsis’ section in Proteus by noon on Thursday 12th December; late submissions cannot be accepted. It should adopt the structure below and, for guidance, should not in total exceed five sides of A4 when printed using Arial font, size 11.

Part 1 – Your detailed Full Proposal, showing your response to the BBC’s requirements outlined in Section A of this commissioning brief.

Part 2 – A section containing the following information: (i) The name and contact details of your nominated representative (a single point of contact within your organisation who will be responsible for all communication related to the commissioning brief). (ii) The planned location for the production team who will produce the show should you be successful. (iii) Evidence that you have the skills to deliver, or the ability to acquire the skills to deliver, the production of the programme in line with this commissioning brief. (iv) Details of third party suppliers. You may want to work in partnership with third parties to deliver the brief. If so, you should include:

o responses on behalf of each partner o details of the responsibilities of each partner o an outline of the main personnel who will be responsible for the production and delivery of the programme o an explanation of how working in partnership would be successfully achieved, including a proposed legal structure (e.g. one lead contractor and sub-contractors). (v) Details of your proposed total programme and per episode cost, broken down by price to BBC Public Service and any other funding sources. As part of our strategic priorities the BBC is making a commitment to the real living wage (as described by the Living Wage Foundation – see livingwage.org.uk). The per episode cost of the programme should be budgeted to account for the real living wage and the Full Proposal should include details of how compliance with the real living wage will be achieved. And all details should be included in a template as below: Production Costs Daily Rate Days/Week Total Executive Producer £0.00 Producer £0.00 Assistant Producer £0.00 Production Manager £0.00 Total: £0.00 Overheads @ % Production fees @ % Grand Total – ex VAT £0.00

10 of 13 Appendix A – Confirmation of acceptance of the BBC’s key contract terms.

Appendix B – Risk management. You should identify specific risks e.g. production risk, business continuity etc.; and the processes or systems that will be put in place to manage these. If applicable, you should also include a detailed transition plan and an explanation of how you will manage the transition from the current production of the programme, with minimum disruption.

Please note, the contract will be offered as a “fixed price” deal, with you being responsible for any overspend and entitled to keep any underspend. Whilst you are welcome to include proposals to deliver levels of content over and above that set out as required in Section A, this will need to be funded from within the published guide price.

If you have any questions regarding the submission of your Full Proposal, please ensure you email them to either [email protected] or [email protected] by Monday 9th December at the latest.

2. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US

NOMINATED REPRESENTATIVE The BBC’s nominated representative for this commissioning brief is Robert Gallacher. No individual other than the BBC’s nominated representatives (or their delegates as advised by the BBC) is authorised to discuss the contents or the substance of this commissioning brief with you. We’ll let you know of any change or addition to the BBC’s nominated representatives.

RESPONSES TO YOUR QUESTIONS In the interest of fair competition, where we feel it’s appropriate, anonymised questions and responses will be circulated to all producers.

COPYRIGHT The BBC is a signatory to, and will abide by the principles of the APC Code.

CONFIDENTIALITY Subject to Section 2, paragraph 5 (Freedom of Information Act), the BBC will keep confidential all commercially sensitive information included in responses to this commissioning brief and will only use this information for the purposes of evaluating the Full Proposal, provided that you have identified the confidential nature of any such information in your response documents.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

11 of 13 As a public authority, the BBC is required to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”), which came into force on 1 January 2005. The FOIA is intended to deliver greater accountability for decisions and spending across the whole of the public sector. It requires public authorities to strike a balance between achieving transparency and protecting genuinely confidential or commercially sensitive information. You should be aware that, under an FOIA request, the BBC may be required to disclose information contained within the Full Proposal or future contractual information. Following a request, the BBC may take the views of organisations submitting proposals into account when deciding what information will be disclosed. For more information on the Freedom of Information Act see bbc.co.uk/foi.

COSTS As outlined in Section D, paragraph 6 below, you submit responses to this commissioning brief and take part in this process at your own cost.

A FIXED PRICE DEAL The contract will be offered as a “fixed price” deal; with you being responsible for any overspend and entitled to keep any underspend.

CONTRACT DURATION FOR STRANDS One year, with options for the BBC to renew for a further year on the same terms after both the first and second years. We reserve the right to vary the start date of the contract as may be required to take into account the successful producer’s transition plan and any related issues identified. In assessing the proposed transition plan, the BBC’s relationship with the audience will be paramount.

12 of 13 3. IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE

Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the following instructions.

Proposals not complying with these instructions may be rejected by the Commissioner whose decision in this matter will be final

All Full Proposals should be submitted using Proteus by noon on Thursday 12th December. For guidance, it should not in total exceed five sides of A4 when printed using Arial font, size 11. We strongly advise you to submit your final responses in good time to avoid the possibility of difficulties caused by unforeseen network or transmission problems. No late submissions will be accepted. If additional supporting material is requested prior to the pitching meeting, we will notify you of how and when to submit this in good time ahead of that meeting. This commissioning brief is not a contract. However, the information contained in this commissioning brief, together with your responses, will form the basis of the final contract between you and the BBC. The BBC reserves the right to exclude any producer that is found to either: a) have provided information which is untrue, or b) be in breach of any of the terms of the non-disclosure agreement.

IMPORTANT: Producers wishing to submit a proposal under this brief are not permitted to contact BBC production staff, seeking information about the programme, during the commissioning period without prior consent from the commissioner. Producers are not permitted to contact on-air talent, unless shortlisted, and with prior approval of the commissioner. Any producer found to be in breach of this clause will be excluded from the commissioning process.

The BBC may modify the commissioning brief (including the timetable as outlined in Section B.1) at any time prior to the submission deadline. Any such amendment will be notified in writing to all prospective producers. To allow time for such amendment to be taken into account, the BBC may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for receipt of submissions.

By submitting your proposal, you confirm acceptance of the key contract terms.

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